Years ago, when I was the restaurant critic for Las Vegas Life magazine, I reviewed a restaurant at the Bellagio Hotel called Olives. It was Boston restaurateur Todd English’s Mediterranean-style Vegas eatery and I really loved it. I especially loved his dish of gnocchi in brown butter and sage sauce. It’s a wonderful autumn/winter dish and it is easy to make at home. Of … [Read more...]
Basic Marinara Sauce
I frequently have a need for a basic marinara sauce for pasta or dishes like lasagna, baked ziti, chicken parmigiana, polenta, meatball sandwiches, and others. Here is a very simple, but quite tasty all-purpose marinara made with canned tomatoes. It freezes well, so you could double or triple this recipe to make a big batch. Ingredients: 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes or … [Read more...]
Shrimp Creole
I’ve tried dozens of different recipes for shrimp Creole in the past. However, this one - which is based on a NY Times recipe - is my wife’s favorite, so it’s become my go-to shrimp Creole recipe. It may look complicated due to the large number of ingredients, but the actual cooking time is pretty brief - about a half hour. Ingredients: 1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined … [Read more...]
Butter Chicken Recipe
Butter chicken is a very popular Indian curry dish that is also called murgh makhani. The chicken is smothered in a creamy curry sauce made with vindaloo spice mix, which can be purchased at stores and online such as at Penzeys Spices. This recipe is largely based on one shared by Andrew Zimmern in Food & Wine. You’ll want to get a head start as the chicken needs to … [Read more...]
Seared Sea Scallops
I love the slightly sweet and tart flavor of seared sea scallops - those are the large scallops; the small ones are bay scallops. They are super easy and quick to make - they literally cook in about 3 minutes. Serve them simply with salt and pepper or with a favorite sauce, aioli, remoulade, yuzu-miso, etc. Ingredients: Fresh sea scallops - about 3-4 per person as a main … [Read more...]
Pork Cutlet Piccata
Most of us are familiar with the popular Italian dish called chicken piccata, typically served with a side of pasta. Well, you can easily change up your piccata by using fish, shrimp, scallops, pork, turkey or even tofu as the main protein for picatta. Here is a version using boneless pork cutlets. It’s a quick dish to prepare. In less time than it takes to boil water for a … [Read more...]
Beef Lo Mein Recipe
Chinese dishes like lo mein are pretty easy to make at home. The secret is organization. Be sure to have all of the ingredients prepped and ready to rock before you heat your wok. That’s because the actual cooking time for stir-fry dishes like lo mein is very rapid. This recipe is a modification of a beef lo mein recipe on the Woks of Life website. Ingredients: For the beef … [Read more...]
White Beans with Sausage
Whenever I’m in France, I always enjoy visiting cozy little bistros that serve comfort food dishes like sausages with beans. When I’m not in France, here is the recipe I use. Ingredients: 1/2 lb. dried cannellini, Great Northern, Navy or other of your favorite beans Handful of fresh sage leaves (4-5) 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed 4-5 black peppercorns … [Read more...]
Chicken Thighs with Black Beans & Rice
This is a terrific one-pot recipe from cookbook author Diana Henry that appeared in the New York Times. The key to success - as with many recipes - is to get everything prepped and ready before turning on the stove. The recipe called for chicken thighs but I used a combination of thighs and legs I had on hand. Give it a try - it’s pretty fabulous. Ingredients: 8 bone-in, … [Read more...]
Simplified Devilish Shrimp
Most often, recipes for Mexican-style devilishly hot shrimp - camarones a la diabla - involves destemming, deseeding and charring dried peppers, then reconstituting them in water, etc. This version is a quicker, simplified one that uses chile powder rather than dried chiles. Give it a try! Ingredients: 1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 Tbsp New Mexico chile … [Read more...]